Mayo offering free mental health webinar in response to rising depression, anxiety

Mayo Clinic Health System will present a free webinar, “Empowering Families: Strengthening Youth Mental Health,” in response to increased anxiety and depression symptoms in people since the pandemic. 

Janice Schreier, a clinical therapist at Mayo Clinic Health System, will present the webinar on Sept. 14 from 6 to 7 p.m. This webinar will offer a combination of life skills that when practiced by parents and their children can have a therapeutic impact on youth mental health. Families can register for the webinar on the Mayo Clinic Health System website.

Mental health issues in adolescents were on the rise before the COVID-19 pandemic, but now health care professionals are seeing clinically elevated depression and anxiety symptoms at a rate double pre-pandemic levels. Last fall, the American Academy of Pediatrics, along with the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and the Children’s Hospital Association, declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of an accelerating mental health crisis among adolescents, with more than 4 in 10 teens reporting that they feel “persistently sad or hopeless” and 1 in 5 saying they have contemplated suicide.

“The good news is that there are effective treatments for depression and anxiety, and family members can play a key role in helping their children take advantage of the treatment recommendations to reduce and manage symptoms,” says Schreier. “Together, parents and youth can learn more about managing depression, anger and anxiety. We are going to talk about effective, tested methods of managing mental health symptoms that kids will be able to implement immediately for their health, with the support of family members.”